Providing perspective on the economics and politics of sports business in Florida...and the Rays' campaign for a new stadium in Tampa Bay.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Times Explores Trop Redevelopment; But Major Question Lingers

The Times' Stephen Nohlgren reported today on prospects and ideas for redeveloping Tropicana Field. Rays' VP Michael Kalt told Pinellas Commissioners in January that they were basically sitting on a goldmine by shackling baseball to the 85-acre piece of land that's "lying fallow."

Nohlgren spoke to business leader and former ABC Coalition member Craig Sher, who was excited about the redevelopment possibilities. And acknowledged - as Mayor Bill Foster confessed recently - that redeveloping in today's economy may not be as easy as the Rays imply.

But one important question remains, as this blog pointed out a month ago: If St. Pete is foolish to house baseball on a piece of downtown land that could be used for other uses, why would Tampa want to do the same thing in its booming downtown?